Train-stopping apparatus.



P. J. CLIFFORD. ,TRAIN STOPPING APPARATUS.

18,8%20 APPLICATION IILID API{.B,1913l Patented NOV. 24

2 SH'BETSWEHEBT1A atroz/um,

P. J. CLIFFORD. TRAIN STOPPING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APILU, 1913.

Patented Nov. 24. 1914A 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WM5/weones PATRICK J'. CLIFFORD,

ASSIGNMENTS, 0F

D STA'IE ATENT OF AVOCA, PENNSYLVAITIA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND I'IESN TWENTY-FOUR AND ONE-HALF ONE-IIUNDREDTIIS TD EDWIMRD H. WOODRUFF, OF AVOCA, '.PIENNSYL'VANIA, AND FIFTY-ONE ONE-HUNDREDIIS '.IO HENRY J. GUNSTER AND GEORGE N. GUNSTER, BOTH OF SCRANTON, PENNSYL- VANIA.

TRAIN-STOPPING APPARATUS.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 8, 1913. Serial No. 759,693.

T0 all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, Painter; J. Courroie), a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Avoca7 in the county ot Luzerne and State oit Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in 'Ifram- Stopping Apparatus, of which the Afollowing is a speciication.

This invention relates to improvements m train stopping apparatus and has particular application to automatic: apparatus of this type.

' In carrying out the A I is my purpose to provide an automatic tram stopping apparatus which may he used conjointly with the road signal system and whereby a train will he brought to an intermediate standstill upon passing a danger signal and entering an occupied block. l

It is also my purpose to provide a tram stopping apparatus which will be. found especially useful in conjunction with bloei; signal systems and whereby when a block is occupied and the signal controlled 'trom such block set to danger, a tram attempting to enter the occupied block against the danger signal will be brought to a stop.

Furthermore, I am to provide an automatic train stopping apparatus whereby communication will be cut ol'l between the boiler and the engine cylinders and the pressure in the train line air pipe oi the brake system reduced when the train passes a dan ger signal and attempts to enter the block protected by such signal.

Vith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts here inafter set forth in and falling within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: F1gure 1 is a view in side elevation of a steam locopresent invention, it

ymotive equipped with the train carried mechanism of the stopping apparatus. Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of a portion of the train carried stopping mechanism removed from the locomotive. Fig. 3 is a sectional element of the train carried mechanism. F ig. l is a view in end elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the controlling means' of the train carried mechanism. Fig. 6 is a View in elevation showing the connection between a road signal and the respective track instrument. Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view through the track instrument. Fig. 8 isa vertical sectional view through the same. Fig. l) is a fragmentary top plan view of the controlling valve.

Reiter-ring now to the accompanyingr drawings in detail, A indicates a steam locomotive of any suitable or well -known type adapted to travel over the rails l, 2 of the tracltway B. Arranged longitudinal-ly of the boiler of the locomotive and extending into the exigirle eab is a shalt 3 journalcd in suitable bearingsand having the outer end thercoil projected into the steam dome of the boiler and equipped with a worm al meshing with a worm wheel 5 secured upon the valve stem t5 oi a cut olf valve located in the steam main beyond the engineers throttle valve so that when the cut oli' valve is in closed position communication cannot be estabd lished between the boiler and the exigirle cylinders b v manipulating the throttle valve. The inner end of the shaft 3, that is the end within the engine cab, ca'rries a worm 7 meshing with a worm wheel 8 secured upon a valve stem l) of a valve located in the train line air pipe and adapted, whenmoved t0 open position, to bleed the train line so as to ellect an application of the brakes to the wheels. l

Arranged within the engine cab and mounted upon the top portion of the boiler is a turbine 10 composed, in the present instance, of a cylindrical casing 11 having u tangential inlet nozzle 12, a similar nozzle 13 disposed in alinernent with the iirst nozzle and opposite thereto and a discharge port 14, and a rotor or wheel 15 rotatably mounted within the casing and keyed upon the shaft 3, the wheel 1li carrying peripheral blades adapted to be impinged upon by the propelling agent entering the casing by way of one or the other of the nozzles 12, 13. In the present instance, the inlet nozzle 12 is equipped with a check valve and piped up to an auxiliary reservoir or container 16 which latter is, in: turn, connected with the main air reservoir 1T of the train air brake system, the connection between the reservoirs 16 and 17 being in the form of a conduit 18 of large capacity. Located in this conduit 18 is a controlling valve 19 adapted Patented Nov. fllt, 19111.

to open only when the train is running above a predetermined speed and composed, in the present instance, of a casing 20 hav ing inlet and outlet ports arranged at right angles to each other, and a segment-shaped plug 22 mounted within the casing and capable of rotation therein and normally closing the outlet port. A spring 22 1s coiled about the stem of the valve plug and has one end fastened to such stem and the opposite end secured to the casing and acts to hold the valve plug in closed position. Depending from the outer end of the valve stem is a lever 23 by means of which the valve plug may be thrown to open position. ln this form of my invention, the inlet nozzle 13 is connected up with the steamV space of the boiler by way of a conduit 24- passed through a casing 25vcarried by one side oi the turbine casing and 'suitably connected thereto. This conduit 24 is provided with a controlling valve 26 located within the casing 25 and provided with an operating lever 27 disposed in the path of movement of a pin 28 on a nut 29 surrounding a portion of the shaft 3 within the casing 25 and formed with worm threads meshing with a worm 3U on such portion of the shaft, the valve 26 being normally held closed under spring pressure. In the present instance, the track instruments controlling the train carried mechanism are connected up with and operated from the semaphores of the road signal system and each comprises a substantially rectangular casing 31 having a sleeve 3,2 se` cured to the top thereof and extending upwardly therefrom. Disposed within the sleeve 32 and adapted for rotation therein is a shaft 33 having the lower end journaled in a bearing 3st carried by the bottom of the casing 3l in alinement with the sleeve 32, and iixed to the upper end of the shaft 32 and extending at right angles thereto is a horizontal trip arm Fixed to the Ashaft 33 within the casing 3l is an arm 36 having one end thereof connected to a coiled contractile spring 37, the latter having the free extremity thereof fastened to an appropriate part of the casing. This spring 37 acts to hold the trip arm normally in inactive position, that'V is, in a plane parallel with the lines of rails of the trackway. To the free end of the arm 36 is connected one end of a cord or the like 38 extending out of the casing by way of one end wall thereof and into the base of the standard or post 39 of a semaphore, the cord being trained over a sheave in the base of the semaphore standard and having the free terminal thereof fastened to one end of a rod 39 designed to slide vertically within the standard 39. The upper end ofthe rod 39i is connected to the semaphore blade 40 and when the latter moves to danger position, as shown in Fig.

6 of the drawings, the cord 33 exerts a pull line air miseria upon the arm 36 with the edect to rotate the shaft 33 against the action of the spring 37 and so throw the trip arm 35 to active position, that is in a direction at right an gles to the trackway and in the path of movement of the lever 33 of the controlling valve 19. A pipe or tube 41 is preferably interposed between the base of the semaphore standard and the casing 31 and surrounds the cord 33 so as to protect the latter.

The operation of the preferred form of my invention illustrated in Figs. l to 3 inclusive, may be briefly stated as follows: Assuming the locomotive A to be hauling a train over the rails of the track B above a certain speed and approaching the signal blade 4c() set at danger,it will te seen that as the train passes the signal, the lever 23 will engage the trip arm 35 and so swing the plug 22 to open position thereby establishing communication between the main air reservoir 17 and the auxiliary reservoir 16. Immediately that the lever 23 leaves the trip arm 35, the plug 22 is swung to closed position under the action of its spring, while the air discharged into the auxiliary reservoir is conveyed to the turbine and passes through the nozzle l2 and onto the blades of the rotor or wheel 15 thereby rotating the lshaft 3 and closing the valve in the steam' main and opening the valve in the train line airpipe whereby the supply of steam to the engine cylinders will be cut off and the pressure in the train line air pipe reduced so that the' brakes will be applied to the wheels. As the shaft 3 rotates to close the steam 4.valve and open 'the valve in the train pipe, the nut 29 within the C-sing 25 is drawn along the shaft, incident to the screw connections between said nut and shaft, and the pin 23 swings the valve lever 27 with the effect to open the valve 26 and so establish communication between the turbine and the steam space of the boiler, the steam impinging upon the blades of the turbine wheel by way of the nozzle 13. The ste'am entering theturbine by way of the nozzle 13 acts upon the rotor to impart movement to the shaft 3 and rotate the latter in a direction opposite from the initial rotation of the shaft. Thus, the valve in the train line air pipe is closed and the valve in the steam main opened thereby permitting the engineer to regain control 'of the train. ln the reverse rotation of the shaft 3, the nut 29 is restored to its original position and the'valve 26 closed under the action of its spring. On the other hand, should the train be approaching the danger signal below the prescribed speed, the impact between the lever 23 and the track trip will not be sulficicnt to swing the valve plug 22 to open position against the action of the spring surrounding the valve stem, the length of the segmentally shaped plug'fbeing such that when the impact between the lever 23 and the track trip is great enough, incident to the speed of the train, the plug will be thrown to wide open position avainst the action of its spring, while when the train is running below the prescribed limit, the outlet ort cation and variation may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In train stopping apparatus, the combination with the steam main, of a valve located in said main, a turbine, a connection between said turbine and valve, a connection between said turbine and the main air reservoir of the train air brake system, a valve in said last connection, means for o erating said valve whereby the turbine wil act to close the steam main, a connection between said turbine and the boiler, and means controlling said last connection and operable from said turbine to open the connection automatically whereby the turbine will operate in a reverse direction to restore the first y mentioned valve to initial position. v

2.y In train stopping apparatus, the combination with a steam main, of a valve in said main, a turbine, a shaft driven from.

said turbine, a connection between said shaft and valve, a connection between said turbine and the main air reservoir of the train air brake system, a valve in said connection, means for operating said valve whereby the From theforegoing description taken in turbine will act to close the steam main', a conduit establishing communication between thesteam space ofc the boiler and said turbine and designed to convey the steam from the boiler to the turbine in a direction reverse to the flow of air through the turbine, avalve in said conduit, and means operable from said shaft to open said valve succeedin the initial operation of the second-mentioned valve whereby the direction of rotation of said shaft will be reversed and the firstmentioned valve opened.

3. In train stopping apparatus, the combination with a steam main, of a valve in said main, a turbine, a shaft driven from said turbinea connection between said shaft and valve, a connection between said turbine and-the main air reservoir of the train air brake system, a valveI in said connection, means for operating said valve whereby the turbine will act to close the steam main, a

conduit establishin communication between the steam space o the boiler and said tur' bine and designed to convey the steam from the boiler tothe turbine in a direction reverse to the flow of air through the turbine, a valve in said conduit, an operating lever connected to the stem of said last valve, a worm on said shaft, a nut surrounding said shaft and provided with worm threads meshing with said worm whereby said nut will be moved longitudinall of the shaft in the initial rotation thereo and a pin carried by said nut and adapted to engage said operating lever to open the last-mentioned valve succeeding the operation of the secondmentioned valve whereby 'the direction of ro tation of said shaft will be reversed and the first-mentioned valve o ened.

In testimony whereo I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

C. M. GIBSON. 

